Fate and Faith

African Americans whose families have been in the U.S. since institutional slavery might view life differently from white folks, which could inhibit full consideration of reparations.

Blacks, especially those whose ancestors included the enslaved or were victims of Jim Crow laws, may be more likely to expect their …

• Opportunities will be fewer
• Earnings will be meager
• Employers will be indifferent when not hostile
• Elected leaders will be untrustworthy
• Schools will be under-resourced
• Communities will be less safe
• Healthcare will be less reliable
• Lifespans will be shorter
  
  

 This is the reality for Blacks in the United States as the legacy of state-supported racism. I imagine middle- and lower-income African Americans living in the South are especially prone to thinking life is limiting and damaging for Black communities.

I suspect perceptions about life outcomes would differ between families who were exploited by institutional racism and those who weren’t. It’s more likely that – all other things being equal – those in the latter group would view the world through a more positive lens. They are more likely to think that their …

• Opportunities will be abundant
• Earnings will be substantial
• Employers will be friendly and responsive
• Elected leaders will be attentive and reliable 
• Schools will be well-funded and productive 
• Communities will be safer
• Healthcare will be accessible 
• Lifespans will be relatively long 
  
  

They would hold these views because these things have been, and are true for them.

Point / Counterpoint

In 2020, the Pew Research Center reported persistent economic disparities between whites and Blacks. The wealth gap between the richest and the poorest had gotten wider, and most of those polled said economic inequality was too great, even though solutions varied among members of different political parties (6 facts about economic inequality in the U.S. | Pew Research Center). Nagging social and economic inequality takes a toll on those most negatively affected, I thought.

 A 2018 report by the Brookings Institution challenged some of my assumptions. Brookings researchers found that the people who are the most optimistic about the future are the most disadvantaged: poor Black Americans, who were even slightly more optimistic than rich Black people. Note, Brookings defined “poor” as a household of four earning less than $24,000 a year (Why are black poor Americans more optimistic than white ones? | Brookings).

Researchers could not attribute this surprising result to one cause, but they suspect a history of resilience in the face of hardship and discrimination might be a factor.

Brookings additionally said one of the correlations that sparked the study was the connection between one’s worldview and health. “People with low levels of optimism and high levels of stress and worry are more likely to die from deaths of despair, or to live in areas with high levels of such deaths. The link is strongest for poor white people without a college education, especially those who live in rural areas.”

Though, comparatively more hopeful than other-race respondents, Blacks were not Pollyannas about the world: “(Blacks were) much less likely to report feeling safe in their neighborhoods, or to be satisfied with their financial situations than their white counterparts.”

Researchers posit that the optimistic outlook they found among Blacks might be rooted in community ties, especially the churches. There is abundant evidence that Black churches are vital sources of spiritual and emotional ( occasionally financial) support for community members.

However, I think, churches can also feed a fatalistic worldview that might suppress individual initiative in some people – “Turn it over to God.” This might be especially tempting to those under-educated and under-employed, facing overwhelming challenges.

Faith and Facts

Formal education, when handled properly, provides important context for life’s events, and helps us see beyond superstitions or dogma. Education guides students away from beliefs that the universe plays favorites or that some folks are destined to have more and be better than the rest, or the poor just don't work hard enough, have bad attitudes, and do not live right, so they aren't blessed with prosperity.

Folks might reach for these explanations rather than attribute social and economic disparities to what I believe is the true source – inhumanity and greed. Accepting that is a crucial first step toward a robust discussion of reparations and reconciliation.

© Ellsworth D. Foster ed. The American Educator (vol. 3) (Chicago, IL: Ralph Durham Company, 1921)